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Attackers on motorbikes murdered 22 civilians, many of them attending a baptism event, in an attack on a community in the Tillabéri region of Niger, as stated in accounts.

A eyewitness told international press that over a dozen people were killed at the ceremony in Tillabéri region, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, prior to proceeding to another location and killing seven victims.

"As people took part in a baptism ceremony, gunmen opened fire, spreading loss of life and fear," commented a local human rights activist.

Niger's military government has had challenges to contain jihadist violence in the area, carried out by groups associated with terror networks and Islamic State.

Local media channels additionally stated a "gruesome death toll of 22 unarmed people cowardly murdered without reason or explanation".

The country's government have acknowledged there was an attack in the zone but have not released any casualty statistics.

Recently, an international watchdog reported that jihadist networks had escalated assaults in the region after March, summarily executing more than one hundred twenty-seven residents and faithful devotees.

Many of houses have been plundered and set ablaze during the identical period, the organization noted.

The organization criticized authorities for not adequately reacting to alerts of attacks and overlooking calls for help by villagers.

Recently, fourteen Nigerien soldiers were killed in an surprise attack in the Tillabéri region, a statistic that the army reported in its periodic communication.

Military sources said one of its teams was sent following information of a animal raid by assailants, but the operation turned out to be "a trap".

This is commonly hard to reliably verify the real figures of casualties in these incidents owing to limited entry and the concern of reprisals among witnesses and regional press.

A regional spokesperson questioned why ordinary people were still being exposed to such insecurity, and appealed to the government to focus on the protection and well-being of the people.

"It is time for tangible actions, strengthen state authority in threatened areas, and prove that all national existence counts," the activist wrote on social media.

Niger has been governed by a junta since last year when Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani removed the state's democratically chosen head of state, Mohamed Bazoum.

Niger's adjacent nations Burkina Faso and Mali, facing the identical extremist unrest, are also governed by army officials but have also had difficulty to contain the situation.

The countries have removed European and US military personnel that were earlier significantly involved in the struggle against militants that operate throughout the arid belt.

Along with scaling back their ties with the West, they have then established an partnership to fight the militant menace, turning to Russia and Turkey for their defense needs. Yet, the conflict has continued.